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Obama Claims Terrorist Dictator is Israel's Best Chance for Peace

Abbas: "There is no difference between our policies and those of Hamas."

This comes from the Jeffrey Goldberg interview with Obama which hits all the same old notes.

If Israel doesn't make a deal with Abbas, it will be more isolated than ever and Obama won't be able to "protect" it. Settlement growth is out of control, Obama claims, when it's barely a blip on the radar.

Obama made it clear that he views Abbas as the most politically moderate leader the Palestinians may ever have. It seemed obvious to me that the president believes that the next move is Netanyahu’s.

OBAMA: I believe that President Abbas is sincere about his willingness to recognize Israel and its right to exist, to recognize Israel’s legitimate security needs, to shun violence, to resolve these issues in a diplomatic fashion that meets the concerns of the people of Israel. And I think that this is a rare quality not just within the Palestinian territories, but in the Middle East generally...

In that kind of environment, where you’ve got a partner on the other side who is prepared to negotiate seriously, who does not engage in some of the wild rhetoric that so often you see in the Arab world when it comes to Israel, who has shown himself committed to maintaining order within the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority and to cooperate with Israelis around their security concerns -- for us to not seize this moment I think would be a great mistake.

International diplomats have been advising Israel to "seize this moment" for twenty years.

And we are talking here about terrorists who committed crimes after peace negotiations began and who murdered civilians and who are even members of Hamas.

3. Abbas refuses to run for reelection, to appoint an independent Prime Minister or hold a session with an elected legislature. He does not control Gaza. He only controls the West Bank with terrorist militias.